I'm just looking for a bit of advise on the above. My 13 year old daughter in first year was offered this vaccine but after doing my research I decided against it due to some horrific side effects. Now with all the hype about cervical cancer at the moment and the fact that its known as a silent cancer with little or no symptoms until its advanced, I am starting to doubt my decision. I am still worried about the side effects of the vaccine but I think I'm more worried about the chance of her getting cervical cancer one day. What do I do? How can she get the vaccine now? If I dont go ahead and get her vaccinated what age does she have to be before she can start getting smear tests? I know the recommended age is 25 and over but I'm not comfortable with that because I'v read so many stories of women under 25 getting the cancer.

I suppose what I am asking is do you think i'm mad for not getting my daughter vaccinated or am I just panicking too much about something that may never happen?

There is no shame in making decisions in ignorance of the facts, we do it all the time. I drive a car totally unaware of the inner mechanics, but I trust the people who put it together knew what they were doing.

If you are aware of the facts and make a decision, then you accept the consequences and so be it.

The HSE site is saying the Gardasil vaccine gives 9+ years protection.Girls under 15 get 2 doses 6 months apart and over 15s get 3 altogether. Sorry I can't copy but its there.I would wonder if there's a possibility of only 9 years protection should it be given when a little older than 12 or 13?I would also wonder about a nurse involved not knowing the basic facts that are on the website for anyone to see..

See I just find that shocking Rainbow. 2 girls and that's what you are basing your decision on.But I know an entire year of 1st years who have been perfectly fine since getting it, in fact I know many many years of 1st year girls who have been perfectly fine since getting it, not one single child who has had a reaction to it so what's your argument to that?

No but I know people within the HSE immunisation programme where it is widely known. I have no doubt that some parents are well meaning but their story is being exploited by these groups. A girl's worth to them is only her perceived promiscuity, feck the risk to her life.

rainbow i heard that too. at the moment i prob wont get my daughter done she not the age yet though. girls that were v healthy have become v sick after it. my friend said same not get her daughter done. same reasons i gave here.

It is an irony that people avoid low risk prevention methods, but demand high risk treatments for the disease. It like not buying house insurance and claiming it unfair when their house burns down... too late is too late.

100% support it and feel so awful that such a great vaccine that people fought so hard for is being dragged down by a smear campaign. The regret campaign is being funded by the big religious right-wing group from the US that has also been giving money to the anti-choice people. It's all because they think it gives kids licence to have sex. It's incredibly frustrating!!

My dd is a few years off getting this yet but I have to ask those of you who say you won't give it to your dd's, if your dd later develops cervical cancer and you know there was a chance you could have prevented that how will you live with yourself? I'm honestly just curious cos that's what outweighs everything for me. All side effects, everything. I can't honestly hand on heart know that there is something out there that may prevent ( and yes I know it's not guaranteed to 100% prevent) my child getting cervical cancer and not allow her to get it. I would never forgive myself. Never. These Facebook pages with girls who have suffered side effects, it's a minority, the majority go on to have no side effects whatsoever. We lobbied the then minister for health to get this vaccine for our children a few years ago.

My 38 year old friend and mother of two children died from cervical cancer 4 years ago, maybe just maybe that could have been prevented.

I just don't know how you would live with yourself if your child later went on to develop this and you had said no to this vaccine.

Ring hse .my dd didn't get in October (1st year) as I wasn't sure but changed my mind and they did last week in school when they were doing boosters. But I had to ring HSE for a new form to fill in and send back to them. I'm glad we waited until I was sure. I f you get done privately it could cost 400e. That's what I've been told hut might not be true.

Clinical Data from 205m doses worldwide v people making unsubstantiated claims on a website/Facebook page. Think I have the brains and common sense to make up my mind on the actual evidence.

Not getting drawn into this debate with these people. The evidence is there for reasonable, sensible people to see for themselves.

cara, just so you know, there is a Reason the veccine is offered in first year - response is better in young teens and reduces as get older and hence better protection. Needs to be given before become sexually active to avoid infection,

Can see your reservations OP. My dd will be getting it in two years. I had CIN 2 at 27. Found in my first smear. This was 20 years ago when there wasn't an awareness of it. I don't know what poccessed me to get checked as people didn't really talk about it but was so glad I did. My dd will definately be getting it.

Its sad that there is a vaccine against cancer, a real life VACCINE against something that kills women and people find a reason to terrify women into not getting it. Mumps, measles and rubella don't kill children anymore because of vaccines. Influenza rarely kills babies and the elderly these days. But there are still inconsiderate fools who warn against life saving vaccinations.

My eldest dd had the vaccine. My youngest dd is in first year and she won't be having it. Eldest dd developed hyperthyroidism when she was just gone 17. There is a history of it on her dad's side through the female line but none of them developed it as a teenager. They were in their 30s 40s or 50s. I know the link isn't proven but as my eldest dd has been through a lot the past year and a half I don't want to take the risk dd2 could go through the same thing.

Hey AshleyR. I too thought long and hard about it before going ahead and even though I was confident I was doing the right thing I still felt sick the day the shots were given. I am not a worrier by nature but either decision will be right or wrong depending on something that happens in the future. It' felt like I was playing Russian Roulette with my daughters health. She has had both doses now and no side effects. I've three more dd's so three more tough decisions to make. It's a horrible decision to have to make. Good luck with whatever you decide.

just to clarify Summersky - you state that 'the vaccine only covers a small number of strains that may go on to develop cancer' . This is factually incorrect. The vaccine protects against 70% of vaccines cause by HPV.

It's inaccuracies and misinformation like that that prevents people making informed decisions. People need to know the correct facts before making a decision on what is best for their child.

Regular PaP smears are of course necessary to detect the 30% of cancers caused by strains of HPV not Included in the vaccines, as well as other non-HPV related cancers of the cervix.

Be.a while before I have to think about HPV vaccine.Its not compulsory so if your not certain or would like to do more research just say your daughter wasn't well enough on the day or be blunt and say you were uncertain.I would imagine a smear test is recommended within a certain timeframe after you first have sex.I would imagine statistically speaking your daughter would be more likely to get cervical cancer than have any vaccine side effects.

Just another side to this as it wasnt available when I was in school and I found out at 25 I had Cin3 cells which is an advanced stage of precancerous cells turns out i seem to carry the hpv virus so my life since then im 29 now has been 3 monthly visits to the colposcopy clinic waiting four hours each time for an uncomfortable procedure and I find the whole thing very undignifying and its going be like this for me for the forseeable future.

My Daughter got the veccine and is due her second dose soon. In The letter from the school about the second dose, it stated that they will give the first dose to children who did not get it first time round - so your dd can still get it. . After looking at all the scientific and clinical peer viewed evidence, I had no reservations at all about getting my child vaccinated.

I am not facing the question yet... but while I am looking at the evidence I have not seen anything that points to a problem. The conditions reported happen anyway, and if you have a large cohort of people you will also see the same. It would be like saying x number of people watch fair city and y number develop cancer. Therefore fair city causes cancer,.... you need a little more evidence to draw such conclusions and I don't see it in the literature.

Perhaps panicking a little too much! The vaccine covers a small number of strains that may go on to develop cancer. Your daughter will still need to go for regular smears which will pick up on any changes to cells.

I don't think you are mad for not bringing your daughter, there has been a number of girls with horrific side effects that are seeking answers.

Why not do some more research on both sidesand then make a decision? Look up Diane harper article on it.